Pink Sari Revolution: a Tale of Women and Power in the Badlands of India

April 22, 2013
A maze of political intrigue, personal melodrama, and feminist activism unfolds in this account of the Pink Gang, a band of Indian women clad in pink saris and carrying pink sticks, who operate both as vigilantes and saviors of abused women. In her first book, journalist Fontanella-Khan relates the development of the organization—established by Sampat Devi Pal and operating in Northern India’s Uttar Pradesh region—while following the case of Sheelu Nisad, falsely accused of stealing by a prominent political figure who raped her. It’s a heady mix; the large cast is entangled in familial relations and caste complexities, and the story is complicated by conflicting accounts of the girl’s case. The Pink Gang grows from a handful of “old widows and middle-aged gadflies” to a political force to be reckoned with, as Sampat has a “highly publicized meeting with Sonia Gandhi.” In telling the story of the now 20,000-strong Pink Gang, who chose pink as the only color in India free of political or religious associations, the author delves into the roles played by the gang’s supportive husbands, pro bono lawyers, and the attentive press. Having interviewed the principals and reviewed available newspaper accounts, Fontanella-Khan brings a novelist’s pacing to a timely page-turner that is essentially political; party politics, political corruption, and the wretched treatment of rape victims are her true subjects. Agent: Sophie Lambert, Conville & Walsh.